The present study aimed to determine the dynamic relationship between good governance, fiscal policy, and economic growth in Oman. In the context of the current study, researchers chose a quantitative approach to answer the research questions, utilizing the latest 2023 data from the World Bank and The Global Economy databases. The data for the current study was carefully selected using variables that represent aspects of governance, fiscal policies, and economic performance. Our analysis uses Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression and the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) Model. These methods help us understand these factors’ immediate and long-term impacts on Oman’s economy. The results we obtained offer fascinating insights into the country’s economic dynamics. We observe bidirectional causal relationships between the Good Governance Index (GGI) and the Regulatory Quality Index (RQI) and economic growth, while Fiscal Policy Effectiveness (FPE), Government Efficiency Index (GEI), and the Rule of Law Index (RLI) exhibit unidirectional causality towards GDP. Budget Balance (BB) shows no causal relationship with GDP, implying external factors influence it. Additionally, moderation analysis underscores the significance of digital financial inclusion in amplifying the effects of governance and fiscal policies on economic growth. These findings hold practical implications for policymakers and stakeholders in Oman. Specifically, they highlight the importance of governance, regulatory quality, and effective fiscal policies in shaping the economic landscape. To foster sustainable economic development, efforts should improve governance, enhance fiscal policy effectiveness, and promote digital financial inclusion.

This study adopts a discursive and analytical perspective to explore how technological advances are reconfiguring the dynamics of the global labour market, with special attention to the phenomenon of microwork. Microwork, characterised by short, fragmented tasks carried out through digital platforms and geographically distributed, has seen exponential growth, particularly in nations with lower economic development. This type of work shows a growing distinction between tasks of a complex and creative nature and those of a repetitive and monotonous nature that do not require advanced skills to perform. This differentiation can intensify wage disparities between developed and developing countries, as well as contribute to the precariousness of work in activities considered less complex and valued. The article highlights the emergence of unstable and poorly paid jobs that do not require specific qualifications and discusses their impact on social security systems in countries where labour regulations are insufficient. Using a theoretical-methodological approach, the research examines the role of artificial intelligence in the rise of micro-labour and its socio-economic implications. It concludes that despite the flexibility and short-term earning opportunities offered by microwork, it poses considerable challenges in terms of income security, workers’ rights, and social protection, emphasising the need for regulatory measures to mitigate its adverse effects on vulnerable communities.

This study critically examines the implications of international transport corridor projects for Central Asian countries, focusing on the Western-backed Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA), the Chinese initiative “One Belt—One Road”, and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) supported by the Russian Federation, India, and Iran. The analysis underscores the risks associated with Western projects, highlighting a need for a more explicit commitment to substantial infrastructure investments and persistent contradictions among key investors and beneficiaries. While the Chinese initiative presents significant benefits such as transit participation, infrastructure development, and economic investments, it also carries risks, notably an increased debt burden and potential monopolization by Chinese corporations. The study emphasizes that Central Asian countries, though indirect beneficiaries of INSTC, may not be directly involved due to geographical constraints. Study findings advocate for Central Asian nations to balance foreign investments, promote economic integration, and safeguard political and economic sovereignty. The study underscores the region’s wealth of natural and human resources, emphasizing the potential for increased demand for goods and services with improved living standards, strategically positioning these countries in the evolving global economic landscape.

COVID-19 has presented considerable challenges to fiscal budget allocations in developing countries, significantly affecting decisions regarding number of investments in the transport sector where precise resource allocation is required. Elucidating the long-term relationship between public transport investment and economic growth might enable policymaker to effectively make a decision in regard to those budget allocation. Our paper then utilizes Thailand as a case study to analyze the effects on economic growth in a developing country context. The study employs Cointegration and Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) techniques to account for long-term correlations among explanatory variables during 1991–2019. The statistical findings reveal a significantly positive correlation between transport investment and economic growth by indicating an increase of 0.937 in economic growth for every one-percent increment in transport investment (S.D. = 0.024, p < 0.05). This emphasizes the potential of expanding the transport investment to recover Thailand’s economy. Furthermore, in terms of short-term adjustments, our results indicate that transport investment can significantly mitigate the negative impact of external shocks by 0.98 percent (p < 0.05). These findings assist policymakers in better managing national budget allocations in the post-Covid-19 period, allowing them to estimate the duration of crowding-out effects induced by shocks more effectively.

The significance of remittances to the Vietnamese economy necessitates investigating how they affect the value of the Vietnamese currency and other macroeconomic factors. Macroeconomic articles struggle to discover their impact on economic development, but measured remittances by migrant workers have recently soared. There is no academic study that has examined this phenomenon in Vietnam. This study uses wavelet frameworks to analyze the lead-lag nexus between exchange rates, remittances, and economic growth in Vietnam in time-frequency domains from 1995 to 2020. Overall, we find that: (i) remittances enhance economic growth in the short and medium run; (ii) exchange rates boost remittances in the short and medium run; (iii) exchange rates promote GDP in all frequency and time domains. Moreover, the partial wavelet coherence and multiple wavelet coherence frameworks also offered evidence supporting the wavelet coherence approach. More importantly, the outcomes of wavelet-based Granger causality unveil that there is two-way causality between the selected indicators, which means that all the indicators can predict each other at different frequencies. Our empirical results provide meaningful information for market participants and policymakers.

Many previous studies find no significant effect of health insurance on health outcome in rural areas of China. Many researchers believe this could be because of the characteristics of health care provision in those areas. In this paper, we aim to examine if urbanization will change the situation. Our research question focuses on if urbanization will change the participation and performance of health insurance on health outcome in a positive direction. Using a longitudinal sample drawn from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), we employed multiple estimation strategies for multiple waves to handle the potential selection bias. We find that urbanization factors such as population density, transportations and housing are associated with probability of insurance participation. That is, urbanization related factors tend to increase people’s willingness of insurance participation. We also conclude that urbanization improves the performance of insurance on self-reported health outcome. Results show that the health insurance has a significant positive impact on health production in urbanized areas. Health insurance in general increases the probability of health care utilization for all areas. However, it does not lead to a significant improvement in the health outcomes in under urbanized areas because of the health provision quality or characteristics of health insurance coverage in those areas.